The subtle, light brown eyeshadow is gently blended at the corners of her eyes, and the delicate eye makeup is perfectly retouched. Lin Xiaoxiao smirks at herself in the bathroom mirror, her satisfied eyes admiring the warm orange lipstick she's expertly applied.
The hand on her watch points at one forty-five, approximately an hour away from her three o'clock interview.
Lin Xiaoxiao turns around, pushes open the glass door of the bathroom, and returns to her booth at the cafe to finish the remaining half glass of lemon water, refreshed, and heads to the cashier to pay.
"Xiaoxiao, what a coincidence! How did you know I was coming here?" An overly enthusiastic voice floats over from the aisle, interrupting her actions.
Lin Xiaoxiao lifts her head and instantly regrets not digging her eyes out on the spot.
It seems God has a peculiar sense of humor, granting her a pleasant surprise that she landed an interview at Jingtian Media in the morning, then immediately letting her bump into her annoying ex-boyfriend!
How did that saying go? When God opens a door for you...
He quickly shuts a window!
"Sir, I think you've mistaken me for someone else." Taking a page from the thirty-six stratagems, she swiftly chooses to retreat, decisively swipes her card, picks up her bag and tries to leave before the man recognizes her.
"Xiaoxiao, you're still as bashful! Since you are apparently waiting for me here already, why leave now?" A salacious hand reaches out from an angle, grabs her arm, and halts her departure.
Yang Xichen remains as before, dressed casually in a suit, his face brimming with an infectious smile that gives an impression of sincerity, as if he considers the person in front of him of great importance in his life.
Who would believe that this man, who swears by the mountains and seas to marry nobody else but you, would be rolling in the bed sheets with another woman, calling her 'baby' the minute dusk falls?
She had been blinded once in her naïve youth; she will not let it happen twice.
"Xiaoxiao, I really miss you. You misunderstood my relationship with Liyu. Had you not been so resolute, I would never have actually gotten together with her..." Yang Xichen lowers his voice, infusing it with a magnetic charm as he inches closer, "Xiaoxiao, every time I see you, my heart still races just like before."
When a man discards all shame, it really can give one an unwelcome shudder.
Lin Xiaoxiao frowned deeply, making a great effort to pry his groping hand off her wrist. "Yang Xichen, we're not involved anymore. I'd appreciate it if you could show some respect."
"Xiaoxiao, don't be so cold. I know you can't bear to be without me." Yang Xichen, unabashed, propped his rejected hand back on the counter, continuing with his melodramatic show. "In fact, from start to finish, you've always been the woman I love most…"
"Sorry, excuse me."
With a scowl, Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't be bothered to deal with the jarring man before her anymore. She grabbed her bag, turned, and left. Her time was precious; she didn't want to ruin her mood for an interview because of some jerky man.
She quickened her footsteps, wishing to get away from this human trouble as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, the world was not going her way. No sooner had she stepped out of the coffee shop's large door and before she could cross the pedestrian path than Yang Xichen's loud voice floated over from behind her.
"Xiaoxiao, don't leave. We haven't seen each other for so long; we should sit down, have a chat, pour out our longing hearts... hey, don't walk so fast, my wife, my darling, wait for me!"
She wished she could wear a "do not disturb" sign on her face, but there were just those types of people in the world who were stubbornly clueless and stuck to you like glue.
Seeing several bystanders on the street turning their heads, waiting for a good show with gossiping eyes, Lin Xiaoxiao wished there was a crack in the ground...
So she could stuff Yang Xichen into it, face down!
She quickened her pace, the stilettos clacking against the pavement, but Yang Xichen followed in pursuit, utterly unbudgeable.
Checking the time, it was 1:58 pm, she really had no time to waste with him here.
She stopped, turned around, and in a stern tone said.
"Yang Xichen, watch out, or I might accuse you of harassment."
But her serious warning was no more than an empty echo in Yang Xichen's ears. Ignoring her stern expression altogether, he stepped forward, grabbing her arm, pressing his body against hers.
"Honey...hehehe, I missed you these days..."
Hehehe, miss me my foot! Lin Xiaoxiao deeply felt that her ladylike image was on the verge of collapsing. She wished she could bite this shameless jerk to death in one bite.
With a forceful shove, she pushed Yang Xichen away, with her face as dark as night: "Yang! Xi! Chen!"
The man in front of her was showing a playful and cheerful expression: "What's wrong, honey?"
"First, I am not your wife. We have no relationship whatsoever. Second, your present actions constitute harassment towards me. Third..."
The hand that she had pushed away returned to her waist, and Yang Xichen, who had been rubbing his cheeky face on her, asked with a pacifying expression: "What's the third one, honey?"
Is there anything one must bear that is utterly unbearable?
Reasoning didn't work with this sort of person.
Lin Xiaoxiao closed her eyes briefly before opening them wide, eyes blazing as she stepped back and spat out word by word: "Third, I already have a boyfriend. Get lost--"
Yang Xichen was taken aback at her anger, then let out a soft chuckle.
"Xiaoxiao, I thought I knew you better than this - you're a loyal person who doesn't just move on in a few months. How could you possibly move on from me to find someone else?"
Ha.
The most despicable part of this man was not just hitting her where it hurt, but stepping on it again and again.
Lin Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth, "I really do have a boyfriend now. You better leave me alone."
Yang Xichen put his hands in the pockets of his casual suit, looking really relaxed: "Oh, really? Then I should meet this new boyfriend of yours. Whether he's real or fake, you should show him off a little…"
Lin Xiaoxiao lowered her head, noting it was already past five minutes after two.
It would take her ten minutes to get to the subway station from here, twenty minutes by subway, and at least fifteen minutes from the subway station to the Jing Tian Media company, all depending on the traffic conditions in the Imperial City. Her time was money—it equated to her interview results.
If she missed her interview, even ten Yang Xichen wouldn't be enough to compensate for the loss.
It was just a boyfriend, right? She would grab any man and introduce him as her boyfriend! Even if she had to randomly pull a man from the street in case of an emergency, she didn't want to waste another second with this shameless jerk!
Lin Xiaoxiao quickly scanned her surroundings and spotted a sapphire-blue Porsche not too far away. From the half-lowered window emerged a man's handsome profile.
Without further thought, she hastily approached, her eagerness to shake off Yang Xichen overwhelming all her other thoughts. She got to the front of the Porsche, reached out to pull open the driver's door, and grabbed the man inside by the wrist, yanking him out of the car.
"Sorry for the trouble. I need your help with something urgent. I'll be quick," she quickly explained while lowering her head.
The man looked at her in surprise and then followed her gaze to see Yang Xichen rushing towards them. A faint smile curved up his thin lips.